Patti Boyle

Issues of love and money vex ‘The Heiress’

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By Wendy Carson

Epilogue Players brings us an intriguing look at upper class life in 1850 New York with “The Heiress” by Ruth Goetz & Augustus Goetz.

Dr. Austine Sloper (Stan Gilliam) raised young daughter Catherine (Emily Reese Castro) well and it is time she should pursue a marital situation. While not unattractive, Catherine is socially awkward and is constantly reminded of her inferiority to her father’s sainted memory of her mother. She feels she has nothing to offer – except for her inheritance of $10,000 per year from her mother, with an additional $20,000 annually after her father passes (a sizable fortune in that era). Her widowed Aunt Lavinia Penniman (Cathie Morgan) is on hand to assist in helping Catherine gain confidence in herself.

During a dinner to celebrate the engagement of her cousin Marian Almond (Christian Taylor) to Arthur Townsend (Lawrence Wunderlich), she is introduced to his cousin, Morris Townsend (Brett Edwards). Thus begins a whirlwind courtship between the two and a pledge to marry. However, the doctor regards Morris to be nothing more than a fortune hunter seeking to take advantage of his daughter’s naivety. Desperate, Catherine plans to elope, even if it means losing her father’s inheritance.

As events play out, this comic melodrama takes interesting and unexpected turns. Overall, the show is an interesting look at the social strata of the pre-war North, and the cast all do an excellent job bringing their characters to life. I was very impressed by Breanna Helms’s turn as Maria, the Slopers’ maid, who was constantly able to say volumes about any situation with a single look.

The cast also includes Susan Yeaw as Marian’s mother (and Dr. Sloper’s sister), Elizabeth Almond; and Sarah Marone-Sowers as Morris’s sister, Mrs. Montgomery. The play is directed by Kathleen Clarke Horrigan with Jay Stanley, stage managed by Patti Boyle.

In Castro’s performance we get an intriguing profile of a misunderstood soul who eventually comes to understand herself. Edwards gives us the appearance of a very noble and flattering suitor – at first. The line between true devotion and selfish desire seems thin indeed. Gilham gives a sharp performance of a gentleman of the era, frank in his opinions but not without feeling. Morgan’s Lavinia isn’t shy about injecting her own notions of romance into the situation.

“The Heiress” has four more performances, Thursday through Sunday, Nov. 20-23, at 1849 N. Alabama St. (corner of 19th and Alabama), downtown Indianapolis. Reserve tickets at epilogueplayers.com.

Charming look at ‘Club’ all eventually join

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By John Lyle Belden

Epilogue Players presents the lively comedy, “The Cemetery Club,” by Ivan Menchell, directed by Kelly Keller.

Once a month, Jewish widows Ida (Valerie Nowosielski), Lucille (Lisa Warner Lowe), and Doris (Marie McNelis) meet at Ida’s place and go to a cemetery in Forest Hills, Queens, to visit the graves of their husbands. When we meet them, it is the four-year anniversary of the passing of Doris’s husband, Abe, to whom she is as devoted as ever. Ida still loves her Murray, but is starting to feel she wants to do more than converse with a stone. Lucille is just glad her Harry is staying in one place.

Sam Katz (Tom Smith), the local butcher, comes by to visit the grave of his wife Myrna, and things get interesting.

With an upcoming social event – their friend Selma is getting married, again, and all are invited – the opportunity for dating, and maybe more, is in the air. Tom, feeling like a nervous teen, asks Ida out. Perpetual flirt Lucille appears jealous, while Doris is appalled at the whole situation. This results in hilarious situations reminiscent of “Sex and the City,” but older and more Jewish (and less sex). Mary DeBoer adds spice as Mildred, an additional wedding guest.

Aside from being very funny, the play also tugs at the heartstrings as we see friendships tested while they each in their own way continue to deal with loss and the need to “write a new chapter.” Nowosielski, Lowe, and McNelis have the chemistry of three ladies long comfortable with one another’s quirks. However, this familiarity leads to presumptions of what is best for one who is acting differently. Smith’s character is like a guy at any age who is caught up in a women’s world, trying seemingly in vain to do what is right.

Wendy Brown is assistant director, and Patti Boyle is stage manager.

Embrace life by attending “The Cemetery Club,” performances Thursday through Sunday (June 19-22), at Epilogue Players, 1849 N. Alabama (corner of 19th and Alabama St.), Indianapolis. Reserve tickets at epilogueplayers.com.